The Story of Atala

I returned from Zambia and Uganda,  Africa 2 days ago and it was a great trip.  Probably the most touching story was from a lady named Atala.  Atala lives in an impoverished rural bush village near Apac,  in northern Uganda.  She is a widow,  as her husband passed away nearly 20 years ago,  and she cares for her 4 children and took in one orphan.  She has been unable to walk for several years (due to reasons unknown) and currently uses a 5-year-old broken down wheelchair to get around.  She is supported by members of her local church,  which is very poor.  She received a micro-loan about 2 years ago and started a small resale business along the main road of her little village,  which is a dirt road and sees few motorized vehicles,  most of them motorbikes.  Atala buys gasoline,  flour,  beans,  and ground nuts and sells them in smaller quantities for a small profit.  She has a great location in the village center right beside the main dirt road,  which in the rainy season can become mud-caked and nearly impassable.  She is very faithful in repaying her loan,  and received another loan a few months ago.

I visited Atala on Friday,  September 23.  Just 2 days before my visit her hut burned to the ground,  which also contained her home and her business.  She was cooking dinner that evening when one of her gasoline cans flipped over and started her hut's thatch roof on fire.  She was able to crawl out,  but she lost all of her belongings and most of her flour and ground nuts.  She is currently staying with some members of her church in their home nearby.  But she needs to maneuver her broken wheelchair the distance from her temporary home to her roadside business,  as her hut was right next to where she sold her items along the road.  Atala does not know the meaning of the word "quit".  When I arrived in her village,  there she was,  all smiles,  back in business selling her items just 2 days after she lost everything.  Bright Hope International, (the organization I traveled with) wants to fund a new brick house for her,  with a tin roof in place of thatch.  The front would house her business and her resale items and she and her family would live in the back rooms.  She is also in need of a new wheelchair.  Atala is an amazing woman,  a real testament to God's goodness.  I'm considering supporting her financially

 That same day I also visited another lady and her micro-loan garden.  Her name was Harriet.  Her garden was flooded from recent heavy rains and is also under-funded. 

 The previous week was spent in Zambia,  in the communities of Samfya and Chapako.  I visited some more micro-loans and borehole water wells in both communities.  Many of the boreholes are funded by Willow Creek Church,  when they exploded on the scene about 6 years ago.  During my time there I stayed in the home of a missionary family,  and they were kind and gracious hosts.  They live in Samfya,  right on the shore of Lake Bangweulu,  which is a large inland lake.  This is also a fishing community,  with the villagers bringing in their fresh catches on a daily basis.  Chapako is very impoverished.  Naked children with bloated bellies and surrounded by flies. 

 This was a "different" trip for me.  It was probably my most relational trip yet,  with just a little ministry thrown in for good measure.

 I'll post a more detailed recap in the next week or so

 This weekend I'm participating in a single adult retreat up in Williams Bay,  WI near Lake Geneva.  This will be interesting,  with the lingering jet lag.  But it sounds like a rewarding time

Africa- Here I come

I depart tomorrow for Zambia and Uganda and will be visiting micro-loan businesses and water borehole wells in both countries.  If I'm able to,  I'll try to update from the field.  It will depend on the available internet access.

In Zambia I'll be in the communities of Samfya and Chapako,  and in Uganda I'll be in Kampala, (Uganda's capitol and largest city) and in rural Apac.

Can you believe it's been 10 years?

Can you believe it's been 10 years since the terror attacks in NYC and Washington DC (and on our country as a whole)?  I bet you can still remember what/where you were during the hours of 7:46AM and 9:03AM on that sunny Tuesday morning.  I was at my old job at Allstate Insurance CO.  I had just begun my workday about the time AA flight #11 slammed into the 94th floor of the north tower of the WTC.  A co-worker approached me and told me that a plane has just struck the World Trade Center in New York.  I gave her a dumbfounded look and told her she had to be kidding,  as nothing like that could EVER happen.  Well,  it DID happen,  and suddenly I noticed many subdued conversations going on amongst co-workers.  15 minutes later,  UA #75 clobbered the south tower of the WTC,  and then I knew this was no joke,  30 minutes later,  AA #77 slammed into the side of the Pentagon in Washington DC,  as I was really coming to terms on what was taking place.  Then about 25 minutes after that,  UA #93,  believed to be heading for either the Capitol,  White House,  or Air Force One had crashed in rural PA.  Many employees were even in tears,  being consoled by their co-workers,  and TV monitors were set up all throughout the office building.  Large crowds were tuning in by the dozens.  More tears were shed amongst employees,  more consoling in front of the monitors,  as the mighty USA was shook to it's very foundation that day,  exactly 10 years ago.

 As we have come to know,  the true heroes of this great country were the NYC police,  firefighters,  EMT's and rescue workers,  many of who perished while trying to rescue those who they will never know the names of.  They truly put their lives on the line that infamous day.  In the weeks following 9/11,  people united as one,  barriers came down,  church attendance soared,  and God was sought after by those who have previously shunned Him to the side.  In fact,  many churches in this country reported record attendance the weekend following 9/11.  People were curious.

 But as you know,  not all folks united,  some barriers went up instead of down.  Innocent Muslims were assaulted by angry,  vengeful Americans,  Mosques were torched.  Is this the way Americans are REALLY supposed to act?!  Some people never learn.

 Yes,  our country and world have changed in the last 10 years,  some for the better,  some for the worse.  Take some time today to reflect on the events of 10 years ago,  and how they may have even changed you.

 Now,  some other news.  I depart for Africa this Friday,  arriving in Johannesburg on Saturday night.  After an overnight in Johannesburg,  I'll then fly into Zambia the next morning.  I'll be staying in the home of a missionary couple.  After a week there I'll head into Uganda for about 5 days,  before returning to Chicago on Tuesday evening,  Sep 27.  Just 3 days later I'll head to Williams Bay,  WI to participate in a single adult retreat.  Considering I'll still be dealing with jet lag and taking malaria meds,  this should be very interesting.

 I'll post more trip details later this week.

 Always,  choose kindness